Nina Carberry: Presidency judged at kitchen tables
Nina Carberry, MEP, sets out what will determine Ireland's EU presidency: delivery that reaches farms, schools and family homes, not speeches in chambers. She calls for a ring-fenced common agricultural policy and stronger protections for children online, including a ban on addictive algorithms and real age verification.
Nina Carberry told the chamber that the success of Ireland's EU presidency will be decided by everyday lives - around kitchen tables, at farmyard gates and in classrooms - rather than in negotiating rooms in Brussels, Strasbourg or Dublin. She urged measurable action, not promises.
Carberry argued Europe needs a ring-fenced common agricultural policy to secure a future for young farmers, create a clear pathway for retiring farmers, and remove unnecessary red tape. The speech frames agricultural stability as central to rural communities and to the presidency's legacy.
On digital policy, Carberry warned that childhood can no longer be outsourced to big tech. She pressed for a ban on addictive algorithms, robust age verification on social media, and tougher action against those who enable abusers and predators to hide online.
Carberry closed by stressing that the presidency will be judged by promises delivered, and affirmed that the European Parliament stands ready to work with Ireland to turn commitments into concrete outcomes that affect families and farmers across Europe.
Immediate message
Nina Carberry told the chamber that the success of Ireland's EU presidency will be decided by everyday lives - around kitchen tables, at farmyard gates and in classrooms - rather than in negotiating rooms in Brussels, Strasbourg or Dublin. She urged measurable action, not promises.
Farming priorities
Carberry argued Europe needs a ring-fenced common agricultural policy to secure a future for young farmers, create a clear pathway for retiring farmers, and remove unnecessary red tape. The speech frames agricultural stability as central to rural communities and to the presidency's legacy.
Protecting childhood online
On digital policy, Carberry warned that childhood can no longer be outsourced to big tech. She pressed for a ban on addictive algorithms, robust age verification on social media, and tougher action against those who enable abusers and predators to hide online.
Delivery and partnership
Carberry closed by stressing that the presidency will be judged by promises delivered, and affirmed that the European Parliament stands ready to work with Ireland to turn commitments into concrete outcomes that affect families and farmers across Europe.
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Transcript
Ireland's EU presidency will not be judged in this debating chamber. It will not be judged in negotiating rooms in Brussels, Strasbourg or Dublin. Nor will it happen in weeks or months after it comes to an end. But it will happen around kitchen tables. It will happen at farmyard gates and school classrooms. In the decades ahead, for me, there are two fences we must clear. First, farming. Europe needs a ring-fenced common agricultural policy. It needs young farmers to see a future. It needs a pathway for retiring farmers. And it needs less red tape. Second, our children. Childhood can no longer be outsourced to big tech. We need to see a ban on addictive algorithms. We need real age verification on social media. And we must pursue those who allow abusers and predators to hide behind an amenity. This presidency will not be judged by promises made. It will be judged by promises delivered. And we in this parliament stand ready to work with you to achieve this.